


Edelweiss

by ostentatiouslyrealistic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Hanahaki Disease, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 21:13:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9203402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ostentatiouslyrealistic/pseuds/ostentatiouslyrealistic
Summary: Hanahaki Disease (n.) An illness bred from unrequited love, where the victim suffers from coughing up flower petals.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This took forever.

Semi had no idea when it happened, had lost track of everything that had occurred leading up to this moment.

He fell into a coughing fit, lungs on fire and eyes burning from the tears that came with strain. He lurched over, one hand falling against the stall door to keep himself upright, but that did nothing to support the sudden weakness that had overtaken his legs, causing him to stumble in the small space. The other hand covered his mouth in an attempt to quiet the noise even though he knew no one else occupied the bathroom. He gave another loud choke and felt something other than saliva spray onto his hand.

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the unshed tears release and trail down his face as he groaned and took a deep breath, righting himself. The feeling of dread never left his gut, and he slowly unfurled his fingers to find a wooly, white petal resting on his palm, covered in splayed blood and saliva. He sneered--of course he’d get the odd flower. Crushing it in his hand, he dropped the inferior petal into the toilet and flushed it, watching until it disappeared.

He unlocked the stall and made his way over to the sink, pumping a handful of soap into his hand and scrubbed at the skin until it was pink and raw. Then he rinsed his mouth, ignoring the pink and red trails sliding down the porcelain as he spit out the water.

“Shit,” he muttered, hands gripping the sides of the sink tightly, knuckles turning unsightly pale. _Deep breath in. Deep breath out._

"Eita-kun!" The shout came from somewhere down the hall, and Semi could feel the heat rising to his face, partly from embarrassment, partly from anger.

"Semisemi!" The obnoxiously loud voice sang, and Semi considered bolting from the restroom and throwing himself out of the third floor window to avoid the infamous guess monster and the one responsible for the wooly flowers blooming in his chest. Before he could consider anything else, the door cracked open and a head poked in, Tendou's wide eyes locking on Semi's curled form.

"Eita-kun?" He pushed the door open wider and slipped in, scanning the restroom and ducking a little to make sure there were no other occupants hiding in the stalls. "What are you doing? Skipping class isn't a good habit. Don't deny it—I've seen your grades," he said, voice lilting and teasing. Moving closer, Tendou glanced into the sink and frowned.

"Is that—"

"A nosebleed," Semi interrupted and turned on the faucet, cursing himself for not cleaning it up sooner.

"Tsk tsk, Eita-kun. Did you get into a fight? Or did you see a pretty girl—" he leaned in close and wiggled his eyebrows, "and have dirty thoughts?" Semi scowled and shoved Tendou's face away from his own, face still burning.

"Hm, you seem normal. It doesn't seem like you're sick, but you're really," he dragged out the 'ee', "red." Semi's scowl deepened, and he stepped away from Tendou for the door. He sighed when an arm was slung heavily over his shoulder and debated shrugging it off but quickly gave up, knowing that if he did, Tendou would just sling his whole body over Semi's back and have him drag them both to the club room. With such close proximity between the two, he felt the urge to cough build up in his already bruised lungs.

Instead, he turned away and coughed lightly into his hand. The feeling of a wooly petal moving up his throat was not a pleasant experience, and he pushed it to his cheek, ignoring the fuzzy feeling rubbing against the side of his mouth.

"Everything all right?"

"Peachy."

There was no doubt now—no excuse for hallucination nor a call for denial. With what had transpired just now and in the restroom, he couldn't just brush off the coughing fits as a bad cold anymore, couldn't squash the feeling of something solid interrupting his respiratory system. He had an inkling of suspicion before, but now he had confirmation.

Semi Eita had Hanahaki disease.

 

\--

 

Warm-ups were a nightmare.

In addition to his burning lungs and attempts at breathing normally, he was subjected to the odd looks his teammates threw at him as he struggled to keep up with their normal pace. Normally, he would be near the front, always striving to move forward and putting a hundred and ten percent into everything that had to do with volleyball. But today—today he quickly fell behind.

The thoughts that plagued his mind didn't help. Hanahaki disease—a common case among budding adults, resulting from one-sided (romantic) love. Simple crushes didn't result in a garden growing within the lungs, but if that crush developed into something deeper and more profound,  the victim could potentially die. With far too many flowers growing far too quickly, they would obstruct the respiratory system and potentially, fatally affect vital organs, resulting in a painful last few days.

The only way to rid oneself of the disease was for the one-sided love to become knowingly reciprocated. Otherwise, the victim would have to seek out corrective surgery to remove the flowers, which would subsequently remove the feelings from the person as well.

To Semi, just hearing about the surgery caused his gut to contract uncomfortably. It wasn't that he feared being cut into. It was the fact that the surgery would severe _all_ feelings for the person, and he didn't want to lose his friendship with Tendou. Being friends with the middle blocker since their first year, he understood how much friendships meant to Tendou, especially with his rocky past that resulted from his "monstrous" appearance.

Even with the front his friend put up, Semi knew that he was deeply insecure about his looks, just as the middle blocker knew how Semi was about his volleyball skills, especially after he was switched out from the regular team. If he were more honest with himself (he would never admit to this and would deny the thought until his dying breath), he found Tendou—attractive? He wasn't ugly at all, just a little off putting, especially whenever he gazed at Semi, like he could read all of Semi's thoughts in one blink.

Speaking of, he could feel Tendou's gaze burning holes into him.

"Eita, are you all right?" Reon asked, slowing down his pace to match Semi's. He hated feeling helpless, but at the moment, his legs felt as frail as the newborn foal's wobbly legs they had passed when the team had jogged past the horseback riding club earlier.

"Fine," he choked out, cursing himself for sounding so hoarse. "I think I'm coming down with something."

"He had a nosebleed earlier!" Tendou called out from somewhere ahead. The middle blocker appeared as he slowed down. "Don't die, Eita-kun!"

Even though he was kidding, Semi couldn't help but grimace at how ironic the statement was. Goshiki, who was ahead, whipped around, concern painting his loud shout, "Semi-senpai is dying?!" Semi wondered if it was it was socially acceptable to lie on the grass and not move from that spot for the next fifteen years of his life. Maybe then the dust and rain could erode him away so no one would find his body. That is—if the flowers don't get to him first.

"You look horrible," Reon said, tone cautious and concerned. "Maybe when we get back, you could go rest. You've never missed practice. I'm sure Washijou'll be fine with you skipping one." They both knew that was a blatant lie.

"I'm fine," Semi protested, but the petals that lodged in his throat said otherwise. Soon enough, he had to stop, bracing himself on his knees to resist bursting into a fit of coughs. It didn't work, and he brought his hand to his mouth to catch the two petals that had forced their way into the world.

"Shit," he muttered, wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth. Increasing number of petals was never a good sign. He stiffened when he felt a hand on his back, rubbing lightly. Looking up, the first thing he saw was the bright red, gravity defying hair. Then he locked gazes with hooded eyes and a lazy smile.

"Sick isn't a good color on you, Eita-kun." Semi felt too nauseous to shrug him off, so he just straightened and pocketed the two petals. Tendou said nothing as they continued to jog, but at a slower pace.

"You could go ahead, you know," he said, eyes trained forward. From his peripheral, he noticed Tendou shrug.

"It's more fun when I'm with you."

Semi could feel himself heat up. Did Tendou know what that implied? That it gave him false hope? The pressure on his chest and lungs burned, as he felt more of the floral residue try to force its way up.

Fuck.

 

\--

 

If he thought warm-ups were bad, they were nothing compared to actual practice.

He missed nearly all receives, managing to only cleanly receive a grand total of three balls. Practice serves were even worse. After landing on his feet, he would heave, feeling his bruised lungs scream for more air as the floral intrusion worsened whenever he noticed Tendou's fleeting, concerned glances.

Washijou was pissed with his performance—he knew that. It took Reon and Ushijima a good fifteen minutes to convince him that Semi was too sick to do fifty laps around the gym as penalty and a stubborn Hayato and Tendou covering Semi's mouth to keep him from protesting that he was completely fine.

"Even this sick, you want to practice? Geez, take a break," Hayato muttered, letting him go. Semi sagged against whatever support he had—Tendou hadn't let go, keeping his hands firmly planted on his shoulders. He could feel how warm Tendou was with how close he was, and he resisted the urge to scream at the situation.

"Come on, Eita-kun," Tendou rotated him on the spot and led him towards the locker room. "Don't resist. Let's get changed and then we can go back to the dorms and you can sleep. Well, you need to do homework, but I guess this is an exception and..." Semi let him ramble on. He averted his eyes, and they made contact with Ushijima, who was sitting on the bench drinking water.

_Of course._

Semi shrugged Tendou off and veered towards their captain.

"Hey, Wakatoshi, how well do you know flowers?"

"I know of some."

"Then," he dug around in his pocket. "Do you know what flower this might come from?" Ushijima took the petal from Semi's outstretched palm. He pinched it between his fingers and squinted, taking note of the color and texture.

"This is edelweiss. They only grow in Europe. How did you come about this?" He handed the petal back, giving Semi a questioning look. Semi pocketed the petal and scrambled for an excuse.

"A cousin gave it to me."

"That's kind of them." An arm slung over Semi's shoulders, pulling him towards the locker room again. He looked up to see Tendou staring at him.

"Thanks, Wakatoshi!" he croaked out before they entered the locker room. The weight lifted itself off his shoulders, and Semi turned to see him holding out his hand. He cocked his eyebrow at the middle blocker, who only smiled and gestured towards the pocket.

"What was that?" he asked, leaning in close. Semi leaned back, hand instinctively coming up to cover his pocket. He shuffled backwards until his back hit the lockers.

"Nothing," he muttered. Tendou narrowed his eyes and leaned in, mouth pinched. "Eita-kun, are you hiding something from me?"

The pressure built in his chest again, and he could feel the intrusion more prominently. Goddammit, Tendou was too close. Semi could feel his warm breath fan his face and the hefty scent that was Tendou and sweat overpower his sense. Now, the pressure was unbearable, and he shoved him away, turning to the locker and coughing into the palm of his hand.

There was so much more blood—he could taste it, the rusty flavor and thick texture that he was subjected to for the second time today. He choked, the unpleasant feeling of the wooly flower climbing up his throat. Three more petals slid into the cavern of his mouth and he nearly heaved from the furry texture on his tongue.

"Eita-kun?!" Semi faintly registered Tendou's frantic shout and a hand clamped on his shoulder, trying to turn him around. Ignoring the chaos that was beginning to brew around him, he bolted, grabbing his bag and running out of the locker room.

"Eita-kun!" Tendou's shout cut off with a grunt as the locker door swung shut, hitting the middle blocker's face.

"Semi!"

"Eita?!"

He ignored it all—the worried, questioning shouts of his teammates and friends as he sped through the doors and towards the dorm. Pounding footsteps followed behind him, and he knew who it was with the uneven gait and arrhythmic pounding footsteps.

"Eita-kun!" The shout only spurred him on faster, desperation now coursing through his veins. A hand grabbed onto his shoulder, and he lurched back.

"Eita!" Tendou shouted, both hands grabbing on and latching onto him. Semi tried to twist away, but Tendou had a firm grip. He scowled. Despite his lanky frame, he forgot the middle blocker could be quite strong.

A particularly large gulp of air had him coughing again, and he watched in horror as the blood stained the white of his friend's shirt.

"Blood?" Tendou's eyes widened, and his grip slackened, giving Semi a chance to escape.

"I'm just sick. Fever. Nosebleed. Leave me alone!" This time Tendou let him go, and Semi felt the guilt start to churn as he left him behind with a blood splattered shirt.

 

\--

 

 _Edelweiss_ , Semi mouthed as he read about the flower that was currently blooming in his chest. After spelling it wrong too many times to count (he tried seventeen times—not like he was counting), he had finally gotten it right and had clicked on the image. Digging the petals from his pocket, he held them up against the screen.

They were edelweiss petals, all right.

"Symbol for nobility, patriotism, great adventure, and sacrifice," he muttered as he read the description. His eyebrows rose. If it weren't growing in his chest at the moment, he would have been thoroughly impressed.

The flower's literal name translated to "noble" and "white," and it was prized among the nations that it grew in. Many had died yearly attempting to get to the flower, and yet, here it was, sitting in the middle of Semi's chest.

He scoffed. Doctors and botanists would have a field day if they successfully cut the damned things out. How ironic—the flower was also known to have medical properties, known to heal many ailments, and yet here it was, rooting itself in his chest and killing him slowly.

A knock on the door interrupted his search, and he stood, scraping the chair back. Hesitantly, he made his way to the door, debating whether to pretend he wasn't there or answer it.

"Eita? It's me."

A breath he didn't realize he'd been holding escaped his lips, and he cracked open the door, breathing a sigh of relief when he noticed it was just Reon. He quickly surveyed the area for bright red hair.

Reon sighed. "It's just me. Tendou's being held down by Wakatoshi and Hayato." He stepped through the threshold and motioned for Semi to shut the door. He did, and then leaned against it, raising a brow.

"Held down?"

"He really wanted to come see you, but it didn't seem like you wanted to see anyone at the moment." Reon rubbed the back of his neck, making it point not to look him in the eye. "We told him to give you some space, and that one of us would come see you, so it wouldn't be overwhelming, but he still wanted to come, so Hayato and Wakatoshi stopped him—it wasn't easy. They're going to have some bruises, and Hayato's already been bitten."

Semi thanked whatever god out there that they'd sent Reon. Kind, warmhearted, patient Reon.

"Uh, thanks," he said, maneuvering around to sit on his bed. Reon took a seat on the chair, and they lapsed into silence.

"Eita, are you really ok? Is it really just a fever?"

He didn't answer, mentally debating whether to tell him or lie. Finally, he sighed. They would all find out later anyway, whether from him spewing out multiple petals or from his surgery. He still hadn't made a decision as to what he would do.

"No," he answered quietly, eyes glued to the floor.

After the world's longest pause, Reon spoke again, "Is it Hanahaki?" Semi turned his head slowly to see him holding a petal in his hand. When Reon looked up, Semi nodded.

"Edelweiss," he said. "That's the flower growing in me."

"Wakatoshi told me it would be fuzzy. He told me about edelweiss, I mean. I think he's the one who realized that you had Hanahaki first. Don't look so surprised—you know he cares. He also said that whoever it is, you must really love them." Semi squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to hear how deeply his love could run for a certain red-haired middle blocker.

"Judging by your laptop screen, you already know how rare the flower is. He said that it must be rare for you to love someone so—" Semi clapped his hands over his ears, "Reon, I don't really want to—"

"Sorry." Reon seemed to have realized that he had overstepped a boundary, and they lapsed into another silence, which was understandable given the awful situation. Semi couldn't blame him. This was new for everyone.

"Just one thing." Semi looked up. Reon stared directly into his eyes, and he asked, "Is it Tendou?" Semi could suddenly hear the roar of blood as it rushed up to his face. How—?

"How did you—?" he spluttered and choked as another petal forced its way up. He spit it into his hand and stared at it in disgust. Reon shot him a pitying look.

"Makes sense, I guess. You'd only fall into fits whenever he was mentioned or when he was around. Like during warm-ups earlier today." Semi groaned into his hands. Was he really that obvious?

"Could you not tell anyone? And tell Wakatoshi not to tell anyone?" he asked. He could see Reon chew on the question, so he started to panic. "Please, Reon, just—just give me time. I'll figure it out."

The wing spiker gave him a hesitant look, as if he wanted to refuse, but then he nodded, relenting to Semi's request. "I'll give you time, but Eita. If it gets any worse, I'm not going to hesitate to get help. You can either confess to him or get the surgery."

"But what if—"

"That's a risk you'll have to take. I'm not going to just sit around and wait for you to die from stubbornness!" At that, Reon's voice had become stern, rising dramatically. He stood and crumpled the petal in his hand.

"Think about how much it'd hurt Tendou if he knew your death was because of him—"

"But it won't be because of hi—"

"Does it matter? He'll blame himself. You know that—all of us know that. If you die, it'll hurt all of us, but especially him. Especially Tendou." With those words, Reon made his way to the door.

"I won't tell anyone, but," he paused at the threshold. His tone had softened immensely. "If you need us—any of us, just let us know. You don't have to fight this yourself. Also, you never know until you try."

With that, he let the door click shut, leaving Semi in a silent room, save for the whir of his laptop and the racing heartbeat he was sure world could hear.

 

\--

 

_The bright red of color of flesh indicated that the light in front of him was incredibly bright. He turned his head and groaned. It couldn't be morning just yet—he had literally just gotten into bed. Unless it was one of those shitty days where sleep just didn't seem to happen._

_He braced himself and cracked open his eyes to meet the familiar gaze of Tendou Satori. He gasped and sat up, quickly realizing that he didn't feel the obstruction in his chest._

_"Wha—?" He took a stuttering breath, reveling in the cool air that entered his lungs, the lack of obstruction a freeing sensation compared to the last few days. He'd never take air for granted ever again. It was then he realized where he was sitting at. No wonder the lights had been so bright—for some godforsaken reason, he was in the gym._

_"How's your head, Eita-kun?" Semi turned his head to stare down at a first year Tendou lying next to him, who stared up at him with wide eyes._

_"Satori, what happened?" he croaked. Tendou pushed himself up and leaned forward until he was looking down at Semi, who internally cursed. First year Tendou was still taller than third year Semi._

_"Did the ball hit you that hard?" Tendou asked, poking his shoulder. Oh, OH. This was a replay of what had occurred their first year. Ushijima had accidentally spiked a ball right at Semi's head. If that were the case, then..._

_Semi pulled down a lock of hair. No, it was still dip-dyed, which meant he was still in his current body. He stood and stumbled from vertigo._

_"Whoa." Hands steadied them, and when the world stopped spinning, he saw that the fingers holding him still were bandaged. Suddenly the bandages fell away, and his eyes trailed their fall. His eyes widened in horror when they fell onto white, fuzzy petals._

_"Eita-kun?" Suddenly, the hands that held him released him and he stared up into the face of third year Tendou, whose brow furrowed in confusion. They were completely surrounded by edelweiss petals that came up to their thighs. Semi blanched. The gym had melted away, giving way to white—all white, from the skies to the petals that fell like snow around them. The white was endless in all directions._

_"What's all this?" Just like that the pressure returned at full force, and Semi couldn't stop the petals that exploded from his mouth, raining white and red from his lips. He fell, the force of it all rendering his knees weak, and he collapsed onto the flood of edelweiss flowers that acted to soften the blow._

_"Eita-kun?" The flow of petals stemmed enough for Semi to catch a breath, and he looked up, fear coursing rapid and icy through his veins. No, he wanted to cry out, Satori please. Tendou had taken a step back, eyes guarded and mirroring the horror that shone from Semi's eyes._

_"Sator—" Another burst of white and red erupted from his body. He could feel the strain bring tears to his eyes as saliva and blood raced down his face. His lungs burned as the continuous stream stung his throat._

_"I—" Just like that, the explosion stopped, and Semi gratefully took in an air of breath, spluttering when the taste of iron settled on his tongue._

_"I can't. Eita-kun, we're both..." Tendou trailed off, and Semi suddenly felt colder than before—could sense the unsaid tension that had suddenly formed between them. He wanted this to be over with, wanted the immense pressure to disappear, wanted it to all end—to succumb to the darkness and just drift away. He curled into himself and watched as Tendou took a step back. Then another. And another. Until he disappeared, leaving the wake of rejection in his place._

_The pressure intensified to a peak that was overwhelming, so much more so than before and—_

His eyes snapped open in the dark as he quickly pushed himself up with his palms, coughing and spluttering as petal after petal rained from his lips. He heaved as he held himself over the edge of his bed, mentally crying as his lungs screamed for oxygen. When the coughing finally subsided, he wiped the edge of his mouth with the back of his hand, grimacing at the blood splattered over his mattress and floor. Speaking of, when he turned, his eyes widened at the chaos that lay on his sheets.

A layer of edelweiss petals covered his bed, sprayed with red and covering the entirety of the surface. This would be hard to hide—he'd have to find a way to take out the petals and clean out the blood that now stained his sheets and parts of the hardwood floor.

_I can't. Eita-kun, we're both..._

_We're both men._

The world had turned against him. Semi was sure of it.

 

\--

 

He skipped class the next day, extremely thankful for the fact that he didn't have a roommate.

When he had woken up from the nightmare earlier, he didn't anticipate how badly the Hanahaki had developed. In the dark, it had looked like a lot. In the light, it was a completely other story. Petals littered every inch of his bed and scattered all over his floor. It looked like a snowstorm had passed by his room. Funnily enough, the sight would have been beautiful had it not been for the blood that splayed across the petals that acted as an empty canvas.

He shoved the petals into a large garbage bag and tied it, leaving the bag by the door. He'd take it out later. Then he set his focus onto cleaning up the blood. He managed to get most of it out, but his sheets would have to be washed. He stripped his bed and threw it onto a pile of laundry and dug around his closet for his other sheets.

Finally finished, he slumped onto his newly made bed and reached for his phone, eyebrows rising when he noticed how many messages he'd gotten and—twelve missed calls? Eleven of them were from Tendou and one was from his mother. He decided he'd call her later and went on to check his messages.

From Wakatoshi  
>> Eita, you've been excused from practice tomorrow. I hope you recover well.

Typical Wakatoshi.

From Reon  
>> I didn't tell Tendou, so you should be safe. Remember, call if you need anything.  
>> I'll pick up your homework and drop it off later.

Sweet, godsend Reon.

From Hayato  
>> just checking up, but are you ok?

Yes, he was fine—not really—but that didn't matter.

From Tendou  
>> r u ok  
>> u ran off on me  
>> and there was blood  
>> blood!!  
>> u no u can tell me if anythings up  
>> hey  
>> hey r u rly just sick  
>> that blood didnt come from a nosebleed  
>> r u skipping class again  
>> r u ok?  
>> what kind of sick did u have  
>> i think i caught it

Semi scoffed. Hanahaki wasn't infectious. If it were, the entire team would have caught it by now. He quickly sent notice that he was just sick to the group chat, and threw the phone onto his bed. Slowly, the effect from last night's nightmare started to take effect, and he felt his eyes close as he drifted off into sleep.

A light knock on the door woke him from his nap, and he yawned, thankful that his short slumber was dreamless. He blinked blearily and stumbled for the door, cursing and wondering how much homework his teachers had assigned for today. When he tugged it open, he was met with a face full of paper.

"Wha—"

"I told you skipping class was a bad idea." Semi felt his heart drop at the voice, and he moved to shut the door, now wide awake with the blood suddenly pounding through his veins. Tendou stuck his foot on the doorway, and Semi kicked at it, desperate for him to just _go away_.

"Eita-kun, let me in!" He answered by stomping on his foot, and Tendou howled in pain, but didn't let up. Semi felt the flowers more prominently than before and fell into a coughing fit, choking as the petals forced their way up. This was getting bad.

Suddenly, Tendou was ripped away from the door, and it slammed shut. Semi slumped against it, pressing his ear against the wood.

"I just wanted to see him!" Tendou protested, and he heard a faint answer. Tendou snorted loudly, "But Reon, he's my friend too!" _Friend._ He felt angry tears form, and he felt another wave of anger surge over him for even crying at this messed up situation. This time, he didn't resist as the petals forced themselves up. He faintly registered the pounding at the door, and he felt too weak to resist the opening door.

"Eita!" Reon crouched in front of him and took in the blood (when had that happened?) that splattered on Semi's shirt and the petals that littered the ground around him. Other than the pounding in his head, he heard papers flutter to the ground and weakly looked up. Tendou stood above the two of them, Semi's homework having fallen out of his hand as he stared at the unfolding scene.

"Wha—" he stopped as he focused his gaze on Semi, who coughed again, blood running from the corner of his lips and spilling onto his shirt.

"Hanahaki?" Tendou whispered, crouching next to Reon, who stood and looked around the room. Semi nodded and averted his gaze.

"That's it. I'm taking you to get the surgery," Reon said, reaching down to pull Semi up. He resisted, keeping himself stuck to the ground.

"Eita! This isn't a time to be stubborn. Look at your sheets for god's sake!" Tendou turned his head and then whipped his head back to Semi, eyes wide with horror. He reached over to grip Semi's shoulder and shook him lightly.

"Who did you fall in love with?" he asked. When he didn't answer, he shook him vigorously.

"Eita! Who did you fall in love with?" his voice rose in hysteria. Reon placed his hand on Tendou's shoulder but was quickly shaken off.

"I'm getting Wakatoshi," Reon muttered, running out of the room, leaving the two alone in the room. Semi tried to protest but was stopped when another petal lodged itself into his throat. Tendou looked around, and his gaze stopped on the black bag. He tore into it and stumbled back as a torrent of petals spilled from the bag.

"You—idiot," Semi coughed, "It took me—forever to—clean that up." Tendou turned and grasped Semi again.

"Who did you fall in love with?" he shouted. "Is it Aya? Kimiko-chan? Akane? Who is she?" Semi flinched at the loud noise and pressed himself closer to the door as Tendou leaned in, eyes locked with Semi's.

"Go away, Satori," Semi croaked, wincing at how raw his throat felt as the words slipped from his mouth. Tendou pulled away and coughed loudly into the palm of his hand. Then he leaned in close and curled his arms under Semi's, hauling him up.

"Fuck this," he spat, cradling Semi closely, who was horrified as his blood smeared onto Tendou's shirt. "I don't give a shit who you fell in love with. We're going to get you that surgery and you'll be fine. When you're out, I promise I'll practice more with you and you'll be starting setter again and—"

"Satori," Semi wheezed, hands grasping at the back of Tendou's shirt as he pressed close. "Satori, stop."

"No," he snarled, tightening his grip on Semi. "I'm not going to sit here and watch you die in front of me because of some stupid feelings. It's not worth dying for—"

"Not even if it's you?" Semi muttered. Tendou froze.

"What?" he said, astonishment evident in his tone. Semi smiled and took a shaky breath.

"Satori, you idiot," he said, and the world went black.

 

\--

 

"Eita-kun. Semisemi." Tendou's normally loud voice was gentle as it ricocheted  around Semi's mind, and he cracked open an eye. Everything blurred around him, but he could faintly make out four figures around him, one with impossibly red hair.

"Are you sure?" he heard someone ask.

"Trust me on this."

The pressure on his chest felt heavy, and Semi felt himself drift off again.

 

\--

 

"He's not waking up. We need to take him to a hospital!" That was Hayato's voice. There was the sound of scraping chairs.

"No! Please, trust me! He'll be ok."

"He could be dying as we debate this. He needs to get to the hospital." And that was Wakatoshi.

 _Ah, so noisy,_ Semi thought as he blocked out the heated conversation and allowed the depths of his mind to pull him under.

 

\--

 

A tug on both of his arms jerked him out of the depths, and he cracked open both eyes. The world very slowly came into focus.

"I think he's waking up!" The voice came from his left, and Semi lifted his head and was greeted by Reon's relieved smile. He grunted, and noticed that both of his arms were slung around Ushijima and Hayato's shoulders. They pulled him into sitting position.

"We were going take you to the hospital," Ushijima said, letting go. Reon placed his hand on Ushijima's shoulder and nodded towards the door.

"Let's go." Then he turned to Semi, "Call if you need us."

Giving him a reassured smile, Reon turned and ushered Ushijima and Hayato out of the room. Semi looked around. Ah, he recognized his setting—he was in the school's clinic.

"Eita-kun." Semi froze, keeping his eyes on the light blue sheets that covered his legs.

"Did you really mean what you said?" Semi offered no answer. When a hand covered his own, long fingers wrapping themselves around the back of his hand, Semi finally looked up into earnest eyes.

"Did you mean it?" Tendou repeated, leaning close. Semi dropped his gaze and nodded. There was a pause, and then—

"Oh, thank god." And Semi was met with the full force of Tendou's hug, his long arms coming around him and squeezing him tightly. He shouted in surprise and choked, spitting out a petal. Tendou rubbed his cheek against Semi's and pulled away, his smile blinding.

"I love you too!" All the insults that were ready to shoot themselves at Tendou lodged in his throat like a petal, and Semi's brain short-circuited. The both of them didn't notice the white petal shrivel and turn brown at the sound of Tendou's reciprocated feelings.

The pressure that sat on Semi's chest for so long, slowly lifted, and he took in his first breath of fresh air, albeit shakily, but it didn't matter. He could breathe, and his feelings were reciprocated.

"Are you serious?" he asked. Tendou blinked and burst out laughing, his giddiness never faltering. He brought his hands up and squeezed Semi's cheeks together, pulling him forward and planting a quick kiss on his lips. Semi spluttered and pulled away, natural instincts causing him to shout angrily.

"Don't do that without asking!" Tendou's laugh faltered, and he leaned his head on Semi's shoulder, sighing heavily.

"Don't scare me like that ever again." Tendou looked up, eyes hooded as he stared into Semi's eyes. "I told you to tell me if anything was troubling you." Semi felt his face heat up and his gut clench in guilt. He looked away.

"I didn't know. I mean, we're both..."

_We're both men._

Tendou seemed to understand what he was implying and hummed. He pulled away, thoughtful expression adorning his face.

"Do you love me, Eita-kun?" Semi leaned back, face scrunching up.

"Just answer it," Tendou sighed. Semi nodded hesitantly.

"So you love me, and I love you," his eyes brightened and he leaned in close, smile creeping onto his face, "so what's the problem?"

Semi sighed and smiled exasperatedly at the middle blocker. "I guess." Tendou puckered his lips and leaned forward, and Semi laughed, using a hand to push his face away. Tendou let out a squawk, and they both ended up in fits of laughter.

"I'm guessing things are fine?" They both looked up as the other three third years made their way into the room. Tendou grinned and slung his arm around Semi, who tried to shrug him off, but Tendou's smile only brightened and he pulled Semi in and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Look at my cute boyfriend!" he said brightly, ignoring Semi's embarrassed shouts.

"Oh, thank god," Reon breathed. "I was about to be stuck with two pining, dying idiots."

"Two?" Semi turned to Tendou who gave Reon a betrayed look. He dug into his pocket and pulled something out. He smiled sheepishly as he opened his fist. A shriveled petal sat in the middle of his palm.

"You—you had?" Semi stammered as he took in the realization. Tendou shrugged.

"I wasn't as far along as you were," he muttered, pocketing the dead flower. Semi gaped at him.

"What?" Tendou asked, staring back.

"I really am an idiot," he said. Tendou hummed.

"You really are." He yelped as Semi punched his shoulder.

"That hurt, Eita-kun!" he whined.

Reon chuckled and turned to Ushijima and Hayato. "I think they'll be fine. Let's give them some room." The ace and libero nodded, and Reon ushered them out.

"Now," he said, clapping his hands, "Let's go tell Goshiki that his senpais aren't dead."

**Author's Note:**

> Come scream about Tensemi with me at shrimpyboke.tumblr.com


End file.
